Hello again! Today I will be reflecting on my experience participating in Save the Bay volunteering for a school trip!
My AP biology class had the opportunity to work with Save the Bay as part of their restoration and DIRT project. We collected data, which included location salinity, pH levels, moisture content and physical attributes of soil of various plots in the Palo Alto marshlands. This field trip is considered to be citizen science. Below is a video giving an introduction to Save the Bay.
Citizen science is when data is collected and analyzed by the general public, usually as part of a collaborative project with scientists. Citizen science is important because it brings science and research to the community so they are more informed about scientific issues. By participating, citizens can do seemingly complex scientific research so scientists will have more data to analyze. As a citizen scientist, I believe we made a difference in how we view the environment as well as helping Save the Bay analyze dirt samples to make sure the dirt is healthy and life sustaining. I’m very happy I had the chance to participate in citizen science, as it allows normally people without a special degree to research and get their hands dirty. Doing this research, I was able to learn some scientific facts that I would have otherwise not known.
Permission to use by: Mrs. Girard
I learned a lot on this trip and here are three scientific things I learned:
– Simpson’s Diversity Index. This is an equation that we used to measure the amount of plant diversity in each 1 meter by 1 meter plot. The values range from 0, with no diversity, to 1 with lots of diversity by taking in account the number of species and the number of each species.
– That the marshlands have many non-native plant species that take away nutrients from the native plants. Non-native plants include Alkali health, and pickle weed which have medical uses and can be even used as food.
-Salinity in the soil increases as it gets closer to the waters edge. This is due to being covered by water when the tides are high. This also means that the soil has a lot higher moisture content than soil not covered by water.
To find out some more facts about plants and animals at the marshlands, visit Virtual Marsh, run by the restoration team!
Permission to use by: Mrs. Girard
I also was able to make direct connections with what was learned on the field trip and what we are learning in biology. First, the moisture readings for four out of our five sites was at 0%, showing how little water there is in the soil. This connects to my biology class because in biology, we focused on FLOW, a documentary informing the public on the reality of water and its availability around the world (click here for a link to my opinion on FLOW). This documentary discusses the scarcity of water in various places and how we need to be aware of how much water is being used, and this is important for Californians right now because we are in such a severe drought. This severe drought is resulting in plants not getting enough water, and thus, dying. Along with this connection, we learned how certain plants (pickle weed) adapt to deal with the changing tides, because sometimes these plants are covered in water, while other times they are feet above water. These adaptations are caused by genetic mutations to survive and thrive. In biology we learned about evolution, which is how and why organisms adapt, and pickle weed is a perfect example of this. Along with learning more about science and biology, this trip created memories too!
Pickleweed
Permission to use by: Mrs. Girard
This field trip created a lot of little memories with my classmates, but the one that stood out was eating pickle weed. I never knew you could eat those plants, so when people started eating bits of pickleweed, I was surprised. However, after trying it, I realized the plant tastes pretty good. It had a unique, salty taste and I will never forget picking a wild plant and just eating it. That experience was really fun, along with many others, however there are some things I would change about the program.
Permission to use by: Mrs. Girard
I thought the research and investigations done were fun and will help the Bay, I, however, would have liked more interaction or information on the animals in the area, if possible. I’m very interested in animals, so I was slightly disappointed there wasn’t very much information regarding animals, however, I understand that the program was focused on dirt and plants. I also felt like we didn’t get to see much of the Bay itself, we saw the marshland we were working on, however I think it would be fun to take a quick hike to actually go to the edge of the Bay and be able to see it from a different angle then normal. Aside from these suggestions, it was a great experience!
Permission to use by: Mrs. Girard
I personally had a great time and I thought that the field trip was worth it. We got to experience real, scientific field work while also helping out the environment and helping preserve the Bay. Even though it was a bit chilly and windy, I really enjoyed myself working in nature, taking down data and doing so with my friends. I definitely think future classes should go because it was a great chance to do something different!
If you want to volunteer, visit http://www.savesfbay.org! Thanks for reading!
My Journey Learning the Science of Life 
